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Strive to make Thanksgiving meaningful
Thanksgiving is a special national holiday, richly steeped in individual and collective meaning. Thanksgiving signifies family, food, fun, history, and tradition all wrapped up into one midweek day.
Stemming form a harvest festival by the pilgrims in 1621. Thanksgiving is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday each November. The exact day of the original celebration is not known; however, it is believed to have been in late fall or early winter.
It is noteworthy that the first record of a ?Thanksgiving feast? by the Pilgrims was not until two years later, in 1623. The idea of setting a day aside and giving thanks, especially for successful harvests, spread throughout the colonies. Governors of many states promulgated the tradition by official proclamation.
On the national level, President Abraham Lincoln who initiated a national Thanksgiving Day with permanency. A proclamation made on October 3, 1863, designated that Thursday, November 26, be a national day of thanksgiving. Each year thereafter, the last Thursday of November was to be observed by offering thanks.
The observation of thanksgiving continued throughout the years, but not all states celebrated on the same day. Finally, in 1941 Congress officially declared the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day.
The turkey dinner we eat now is reminiscent of the first celebration, which included four wild turkeys that were presented by the Indians to the settlers as a sign of friendship. Of course, the traditional meaning of Thanksgiving is more important than the cranberries, pies and turkeys we feast on.
Consider these suggestions on ways to make the holiday a more meaningful celebration.
? If someone you know is going to be alone on Thanksgiving, invite that person to dinner.
? Donate a Thanksgiving meal to a low-income family. Better yet, organize a community or school donation to supply a soup kitchen with Thanksgiving dinners.
? Donate your time to help prepare Thanksgiving diner for a community hall or church.
? Call a nursing home or seniors? apartment house and arrange to invite a resident your home for dinner.
? Ask all the guest to bring with them something to read before dinner that conveys their thought s on Thanksgiving (such as a poem, an essay, or a self composed work).
? Instead of a traditional grace, ask the guests to share why they are thankful.
Finally, take time to reflect on personal blessings. Make Thanksgiving a truly special and meaningful day.
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